


Aphelion

by Shymerc



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Building a Life, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-26 23:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15673653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shymerc/pseuds/Shymerc
Summary: Marcus Kane wakes up and the old world is gone. Learning to breathe again on the new circumbinary planet is hard. It's a whirlwind of actions and movements and constant alertness at any sign of threats. Rebuilding what they lost takes time, settling down and truly living takes longer but they manage. They always do.





	Aphelion

**Author's Note:**

> To the anon that wanted kabby sitting under the suns on the new planet. Enjoy!

 

'aphelion - the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is farthest from the Sun.'

 

***

 

They wake him up and he only sees the world in flashes. Grey and shiny and so familiar his chest hurts. 

Her hand squeezes his own and he turns his head slowly, feels like the whole world is spinning. It takes some blinking but eventually he can make out the outlines of Abby's face. His eyes flutter for a second, straining to see more and it all goes black before he regains his vision again and finds the warmest of browns looking down at him - he would recognise her anywhere. The relief in her gaze is palpable but oh, the pain, the pain is filling the room. Eden is lost, he knows it without a doubt and they might as well be lost as well. How many more years? How many more sacrifices for a false promise?

"Marcus? Everything's alright. You're alright."

Her words are like music to his ears and he tries to respond, tries to form coherent sentences but his body doesn't want to cooperate with his mind, refuses to form any string of comprehensible words. It's only a whisper of her name that manages to slip past his dry lips. She shifts in and out of focus and he tries to cling to her, tries to focus on her eyes to show her what he can't say.

 _I love you_.

He tries his hardest to stay with her, focuses on her hand in his, the softness in her gaze, her words, but it's all becoming a blur and he just wants to forget that they are back again. The pain is almost too much, worse than his last memory on Earth. Maybe they already used up all their chances.

 _I love you_ and everything turns black again.

 

***

 

He dreams of the Earth they lost.

 

***

 

It's dark in the room when he wakes next time. The soft humming of the air vents seems deafening. This time, the pain is different and he feels weak. The small movement he does manage seems to take the greatest of efforts. Still, he tries to sit up but the world starts to spin so he immediately slumps down again. 

"You're awake."

He turns and Abby's there, sitting on a chair close to his bed, dark circles under her eyes and hair tied back. This time she doesn't become a hazy drug-induced blur. 

"How long?"

A flicker of something in her eyes at the question.

"Longer than you think, it was the only solution we could find to give you time and - and - I couldn't bear to lose you."

"You'll never lose me," Marcus replies as he reaches out a hand she gladly accepts, squeezes firmly.

They still have a few things they need to talk about, things that they never quite got to  _that_ night but for now, this is enough. When he tugs, she seems hesitant and he smiles at her, lips dry and body weak and says "I won't break."

She snorts at that and eventually a careful smile tugs at the corners of her lips. He has missed that sight more than anything, feels his heart spring to life and she's the most beautiful sight. Gently, she complies, sits down on the edge of the bed, and she looks exhausted and pained. He knows that look all too well.

"We had to leave Earth."

And then she explains. McCreary and the launch-codes, Madi and Octavia, the ship and cryosleep. She tears up at the mention of Harper and Monty and he feels his heart cracking too. But they have given them the greatest gift - hope. Maybe they'll do better this time. Squeezing her hand again, Marcus pulls her closer and Abby tentatively lays down next to him. She breathes out and the tension from her shoulders ease when she can feel his heartbeat under the palm of her hand and _know_ that he is really alive. 

It's not long before she is needed elsewhere but he will take every little second they can have together.

 

***

 

They send the kids and the strongest first and it's like the Ark all over again. He feels sick but maybe this time it won't be a sacrifice, maybe this time they won't start a war they don't know how to end. He's still too weak, but Abby makes sure to come by as often as she can until she deems him fit enough to leave the bed. It's the first time he gets to see their new home.

The circumbinary planet is breathtaking and he remembers being young and watching Earth from space. Here he is again, a different planet, a different ship, a different part of the universe but still the same.

"Home sweet home," a female voice says behind him.

Raven Reyes comes up to his side, arms crossed and hair tied back.

"Any signs of life?" Marcus asks.

She shakes her head, doesn't look him in the eye. "We haven't completed the scans yet but so far no."

There's a trace of worry in her words and he hopes the humans before them didn't destroy this world like they did Earth. They stand in silence for a while, until Raven's talkie buzzes to life and she leaves him to ponder alone. No one has assigned him any tasks yet, but he doesn't mind taking a step back from the chaos that is the human instinct to conquer and rebuild.

The sunsets will take some time getting used to though he thinks as he watches one sunset followed by the second half an hour later.

 

***

 

This new planet is both the same and different in all aspects. It takes them a month after waking up to get everything ready, but eventually, they are all down on solid ground. The air is fresh but not as sweet as the air on Earth. Abby holds his hand as they both take their first steps on this new planet, the suns shining down brightly on them. It is not long though before she's whisked away to Medical and Marcus is left alone.

He takes the time to explore, makes mental notes of tasks that will be crucial to complete and then he walks back to his and Abby's new home. It's just a small wooden cottage with a mattress and their few belongings, in the inner ring close to the dropship and closer to the Medical Centre but to him it's everything. It is the valley he wished they could have settled down on. It's the plans he and Diyoza made - cottages, trading posts, the medical centre, the well, the school. Everything they never got a chance to build and his chest still crumbles under the weight of all they lost. Most of all, it's the legacy they failed to protect that leaves him disillusioned about the future. Still, this is everything they have and it is their home. He feels the need to be useful but he's oh so tired and maybe all his years and all their wars and fights are finally catching up to him. He doesn't know.

"Hey there," Abby smiles when she enters their home. 

She wears an exhausted expression and dirt from the medical garden she, Jackson and Niylah are trying to set up but she's smiling brighter than both the suns combined.

"Hi yourself."

"We had such a busy day today, you won't believe what Jackson got up to during lunch," Abby babbles on while she removes her boots, changes out of her dirty work clothes and gets ready for bed. 

She reminds him so much of the Abby that he used to know all those years ago when they could still walk in the sunlight without all the shadows of their actions throwing them into the dark. It is the same spark she had that kept her going for months while Clarke was gone, the glint of hope in her eyes and she's unstoppable like that. She wants to  _live_ and he wants nothing more than allowing himself to believe that this time it will be different, that they will do better and find the light together. They have talked about new beginnings, but still he wonders if they'll make it this time, if they'll really find peace.

As soon as her head hits the pillow, Abby falls asleep and he can only smile at the sight, shake his head at this impossible woman he loves so much as he settles down as well.

Abby is gone by the time he wakes up to the first sunrise.

 

***

 

The days last longer when the suns are out of sync and the nights become shorter as it takes longer for both to set. It becomes an excuse for them to work harder, work longer days. It's the instinct of survival that keeps them going the first few weeks when their bodies are screaming for them to stop.

They do stop during the first eclipse.

Raven has, of course, informed them about it long before it actually happens but they still stop and stare. It's indescribable and the most beautiful thing Marcus can say he has ever seen. One sun eclipsing the other for a couple of hours and the world is less bright and for a fleeting second, there's a fear that it might be their shadows coming back to steal away all their light. The feeling is gone before he can even register it properly.

The temperature drops significantly, and the thunderstorm that hits them when the solar radiation at the surface of the planet drops to half of its peak level is surprising. The wind blows the rain in every direction and they can do nothing but settle for the day and take cover.

Marcus and Abby sit inside their little cottage, blanket wrapped around them both, Abby in his arms and a small fire burning to keep them warm.

"This won't be good for the garden," Abby comments, fingers playing with his as they watch the weather.

"I thought you wished for rain," Marcus teases and gets a light slap on his arm.

"This is not what I had in mind," Abby replies dryly but he can sense her smile.

Marcus hums and pulls her closer. They haven't had rain in days and she was worried that the suns would slowly kill their herbs. Now a thunderstorm might kill the plants instead.

"I'm getting chilly," Abby comments, turns in his arms and there's that familiar look in her dark eyes.

"Oh? Then we better do something about that."

She kisses him and they forget all about the thunderstorm.

 

 ***

 

The weeks pass fast and he finds ways to keep himself busy during the days as they all scramble to rebuild. It's a sunny day when he's walking around with the sketchbook he had used to jot down ideas and map out new common spaces with Diyoza. He can't bring himself to rip out and burn the pages but he doesn't look at them either - wants to start anew. He's up early in the morning and considering where they should have their winter stock when a new face finds him.

"Hi, Mr Kane."

"Marcus is fine."

He has Harper's smile and Monty's kind eyes. It's like watching a ghost and again he thinks about their sacrifice. 

"Right, right. So, uhm - need any help?"

He seems eager and like the kids they sent down to die all those years ago.

The 'no' almost slips past his lips before he can stop it. Instead, he shows him the sketchbook and talks about the completion of the newest houses, how it would be great to have a firepit for the cold nights, better support to the east where they seem to be most affected by the varying sun radiation and set up some form of storage in the near future as the seasons begin to change. That is another thing they will need to get used to, how fast the seasons change and how precious time is.

 Jordan nods along eagerly, offers ideas and suggestions, talks about the farming fields they are trying to set up.

The suns shine down on them, creating four shadows and Jordan says that will probably take some time getting used to too.

 

***

 

Eclipses and thunderstorms and hail and flash floods become the new norm. They strengthen the foundations of their houses, dig paths for the floods to take to spare their homes, reinforce the roofs. It's a lot of work but they only ever stop during the eclipses. They rebuild the life they lost on a planet long ago.

The temperatures drop every eclipse and some grounders that still remember the old world think of Azgeda. But the solar winter changes everything and sends the temperatures to Anctartic levels. The food ratios are alarmingly low and they are all thinking about The Dark Year, though no one mentions it. Octavia seems the most affected by it, finds it hard to look their people in the eyes as they eat what little they have. But by some miracle, they make it through and Marcus breathes out as the seasons change again. It happens more rapidly than life on Earth and the planet, the animals and plants have all adapted accordingly. The only ones that haven't are them and it becomes painfully clear how much they  _don't_ belong here. The ship continues to orbit around their planet mocking their attempts of survival and Marcus wonders, not for the first time, if it's all really worth it. Would it all be for nothing again? The ship orbits and reminds them of how they got there in the first place, the destruction they left behind.

"We'll be better prepared next year," Clarke says, Madi by her side.

"We're working on some new ways to grow food, hopefully, we'll have it ready in time," Jordan adds with a kind smile - Harper's smile.

It doesn't inspire much hope.

It's only when Marcus sees Hope in Diyoza's arms after a long delivery, Abby and Jackson smiling proudly at the first baby born on this planet, that he feels just that.  _Hope._ It's the sudden urge to build and dig deep roots and create a life worth living - for all of them. And maybe the greatest gift they can give Hope and all those that will come after her is refusing to be defeated, give them a home, a legacy to protect, just like the Eden tree had been the legacy of the Earth they would one day return to. He tells Abby this much and she smiles sweetly at him.

Though, her lips on his are even sweeter.

 

***

 

Eventually, they all seem to find their spot, falling into place after the chaos of rebuilding and holding their breaths expecting the worst. It's only after that that Abby even shows a hint of slowing down. Two more months until she re-learns to breathe and take her time without trying to be everywhere at once. On that day, he takes her out to sit under the suns on a nearby field he and Jordan discovered not so long ago. 

The air is warm as they sit down in the grass, the two suns shining down on them, Marcus' arm wrapped around Abby's shoulders. 

"It's peaceful," she says and breathes out. 

The tension, the pain, the past. It's all gone now and they can only look towards the future. At that moment he breathes out too, when she's safe in his arms and they have started anew.

"It is."

She smiles.

Marcus doesn't know if the warmth he feels is the pleasant sunshine or the soft smile on Abby's lips warming his heart but all he knows is that today is the day their planet is the furthest away from its suns before it moves closer again, towards something new. He can't wait to settle down and grow old with her now that they have finally built a new home.


End file.
